Australia, China play blame game over dangerous engagement by military jets

Sydney/Beijing: Australia has raised concerns with China over what it said was "unsafe and unprofessional" actions by a Chinese fighter jet towards an Australian maritime patrol in the South China Sea on Tuesday, while China has made solemn representations to Australia over what it said was an Australian military plane's "deliberate intrusion" into China's airspace

A Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft was conducting a routine surveillance patrol in international waters in the South China Sea when a Chinese PLA J-16 fighter jet released flares within 30 metres (100 feet) of the RAAF aircraft, Australia's Defence Minister Richard Marles said on Thursday.

"That is an action that we've declared as being unsafe. We have made representations about our concerns to the Chinese government both yesterday and today here in Canberra, but also in Beijing," Marles said in a television interview with Sky News Australia.

Australia's defence department also noted that a Chinese navy task group was operating in Australia's north.

A People's Liberation Army Navy frigate, cruiser and replenishment vessel had entered Australia's maritime approaches, with the Jiangkai-class frigate Hengyang transiting the waters to Australia's north, the Defence Department said in a separate statement on Thursday.

Australia's air force and navy were monitoring the Chinese frigate, which had transited the Torres Strait between Australia and Papua New Guinea, and remained in Australia's exclusive economic zone, Marles said.

"I think the Australian people want to know that we've got a close eye on what this task group is doing... But from the perspective of international law, we will absolutely make sure that the way in which we go about this is both professional and safe," Marles said.

The Defence Department said in a statement Australia respects the rights of all states to exercise freedom of navigation and overflight and expected others to respect Australia’s right to do the same.

The Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a press conference that it was Australia "jeopardised" that China's national security, and the Chinese side took "proper, legal and professional measures to exercise restraint."

In 2023 Australia said a diver had been injured in Japan's exclusive economic zone when a Chinese warship deployed a sonar at close range, which China denied.

China has previously said the incidents occurred near its territory.